DEQ says Hamlin Lake dam in Ludington safe

LUDINGTON — The Hamlin Lake dam in Ludington State Park was deemed safe by state officials Saturday despite flooding, but the state park will remain closed for the weekend.

An inspection by the State Department of Environmental Quality found the dam that separates the lake from Lake Michigan was not damaged by lake water that rose 2.7 feet Thursday night during a 12-inch rainstorm, said Mason County Administrator Fabian Knizacky.

Campers were told to call the state Monday to determine when the park would reopen.

Across Mason County, 200 roads were damaged and 50 remained closed, either washed out or covered with water, including the five northern miles of U.S. 31. State officials hoped to rebuild a 100-yard-long washout on that highway on Monday.

Crews in Ludington were repairing a sewer-main break that sent 90 percent of the city's sewage into Pere Marquette Lake and washed out South Madison Avenue, Knizacky said. The sewer break led the county to close beaches.

County officials worried about more flooding as the rain runoff reaches the Pere Marquette and Sable rivers. The Pere Marquette was to crest at 6.5 feet above flood stage in Scottville, about 9 miles east of Ludington, Monday morning.

"The fear is what will happen when it reaches Ludington," Knizacky said.

He said he is more concerned about the Sable River watershed, which was hit hardest by the storms.

It runs through sparsely populated areas in the northern part of the county but could damage more roads as it rises, he said.